Lock fastener and handle for boxes



Dec. 12, 1933. c. 5. ROBERT 1,939,227

LOCK FASTENER AND HANDLE FOR BOXES I Filed Sept. 15. 1932 INVENTORATTORN EY $9; and to similar types and which enables the easy PatentedDec. 12, 1933 PATENT OFFICE LOCK FASTENER AND HANDLE FOR BOXES CharlesS. Robert, Chatham, N. J.

Application September 13, 1932 Serial No. 632,913

7 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to boxes and similar articles; andthe invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel fasteningmeans for boxes and to a novel form of handle for carrying boxes and thelike.

Heretofore, it has been generally necessary for department stores,clothiers and other merchants in boxing suits of clothes and otherarticles, to use twine or preferably tape to retain box covers -in placein order to prevent accidental or unauthorized opening and consequentloss or pilferage of the box contents, asduring delivery.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novelnon-metallic fastener which ;may be readily applied to boxes of thepaper board or similar types, the said fastener being adapted to beeasily and quickly manipulated to retain a box coverin place without theuse of twine or tape, and having locking means for j positivelylockingthe box cover to the body of the box, it being impossible to openthe box after the fastener has been applied without first rupturing thefastener locking means, the ruptured locking means providing a simpletest for detecting pilferage.

Another object of the present invention'lies in the provision of a.novel fastener of the above character which is of simple, sturdyconstruction, the said fastener comprising essentially a substantiallyrectangular body portion having a tongue extending from one end thereof,the said tongue being'provided with looking projections at the free endportion thereof, the said fastener being'adapted to be manufacturedcheaply in .1 rge quantities.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novelhandle which may be quickly and easily applied to boxes of the one pieceor two piece automatic collapsible or set-up type carrying of the box.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detaileddescription of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in companying drawing, in which:'

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a two piece automatic box equipped withthe novel fasteners of the acthe present invention, the said box beingillusdirection of the arrows.

Fig. '3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner ofattaching the fastener to the box and also shows the box cover sectionabout to be applied to the body section of the box.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view with parts broken away illustrating themanner of engaging the fastener.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the fastener in unfolded or developed form.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the box'handle.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken along line '77 of Fig. 6 looking inthedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is asectional view taken along line 88 of Fig. 6 looking in thedirection of the arrows; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the operation ofthe fastener.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the abovedescribed views to indicate corre-. sponding parts.

Referringnow to said drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates a boxmade of paper board, cardboard or similar material. Box 1 comprises abody section 2 and a, removable cover section 3. The box 1 isillustrated as of the two piece collapsible orset-up type, but it is tobe understood that the novel fastener of this invention may as readilybe applied .to any type of paper board, cardboard or similar box orcontainer having either a removable cover section or a cover sectionhingedly connected to the body section of the box.

As especially illustrated in Fig. 5, the novel fastener of thisinvention comprises a single piece of paper board, cardboard or othermaterial of the shape shown. If desired, this fastener may be made of abetter quality of material than the material'of box 1 withoutsubstantially increasing the cost of the fastener. By thus making thefastener of better and stronger material than the cardboard box itself,the unauthorized opening of the box will effect a tearing or distortionof the box itself which may be readily detected, as will further appear.This novel fastener has a. substantially rectangular body portion 4 anda tongue 5 projecting centrally from one end of the body portion 4. V

The body portion 4 is transversely scored or creased at 6 near themidpoint of the length thereof, thereby dividing this body portion intotwo tabs, a front tab 7 and a back tab 8, which tabs are adapted to befolded into overlying relation with respect to one another, the scoresor crease 6 providing for such folding. The front tab 7 is provided withtwo transversely extending, spaced slots or perforations 9 and 10. Theslot 9 is located near the free end of front tab 7, whereas the slot 10is located intermediate slot 9 and the crease 6. Front tab '7 is madesomewhat longer than back or rear tab 8 so that the dis-- tance from thecenter of crease 6 to the free end of tab 8, i. e. the end having thetongue 5 thereon, is substantially equal to the distance from the centerof crease 6 to the slot 9. The tabs 7 and 8 are made of the aboveproportions so that when these tabs are folded into overlying relationwith respect to one another, the tongue 5 may be readily insertedthrough slot 9, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The tongue 5 is of lesser width than the body portion 4 of the fastenerand is preferably provided with two creases or sets of transverse scores11 and 12. The scores 11 are positioned immediately adjacent the freeend of back tab 8 and. the scores 12 are spaced outwardly somewhat alongthe tab from scores 11. The outer end portion of tab 5 is provided withlocking projections 13 at the opposite side edges of this tab. Inclinedscores or creases 14 serve to' separate or define locking projections 13from the main portion of tab5. The locking projections 13 preferablyhave upwardly and outwardly inclined lower edges 15 and upwardly andinwardly inclined upper edges 16.

It has been found from experimentation that for the most satisfactoryresults in use, it is desirable that the inclined lower edges 15 of thelocking projections 13, should make an acute angle of approximatelyforty degrees with an imaginary transverse line extending across thetongue 5, as will appear from an inspection of Fig. 5. Also, theinclination of the creases or scores 14, with respect to such imaginarytransverse line, should equal in magnitude to substantially one-half ofthe total obtuse angle extending between the imaginary transverselineand the inclined lower edges 15. Looking projections 13 are disposedsymmetrically with respect to the central axis of the tongue 5.

In manufacturing the novel fastener of this invention, the transverseslot 9 may be made of a length substantially equal to that. of tongue 5,in which event the locking projections 13 must be folded along creases14 flat against the main portion of the tongue before they can be passedthrough the slot 9 in use. If desired, the slot 9 can be made of suchincreased length as toaccornmodate the locking projections without thenecessity of foldingv these projections against the tongue 5. The slot10 should be of a length substantially equal to the width of tongue 5was to accommodate this tongue in a manner to be hereafter described. l

In order to adapt the two piece box 1 to receive the novel fastener ofthis invention, it is merely necessary to provide each of the end walls17 of the cover section 3 with a transverse slot l9of substantially thesame length as slot 10 of the fastener. The slot 19 is preferablylocated midway of the width of the end wall 17, and this slot ispositioned at a distance downwardly from the top of cover section 3which is substantially equal to the distance of slot 10 from the crease6 of the fastener. This downward distance should be somewhat greaterthan the length of the locking portion of ton ue 5. Likewise, the endwalls 21 of the body section 2 of the box are each provided with atransverse slot 22 of a length equal to the length of fastener slot 9,and which is positioned substantially centrally of the width'of such endwall. The ve'rtical'distance of each slot 22 from finished surfacethereof, so that when the front tab '7 is folded over onto back tab 8,the finished surfaces .of the fastener will be exposed. The fastener isnow inverted so that the tongue 5 will project downwardly and thistongue is then inserted through slot 22 from the inside of body section2 (see Fig. 3). If the slot 22 is of the same length as the main portionof tongue 5, it will be necessary to fold locking projections 13 flatagainst this tongue before the tongue can be inserted through slot 22.Tongue 5 is pulled forwardly through slot 22 until the lower end portionof the back tab 8 stops such movement. The free locking end portion oftongue 5 having the locking projections 13 thereof is then passedthrough slot 9 of front tab 7, the assembly being as illustrated in Fig.3. The fastener is now fixedupon the body section 2 of the box and willremain in place until ready for use. The box maybe collapsed, ifdesired, with the fastener remaining in place thereon,

When, it is desired to close the box, the cover section 3 is insertedover the body section 2 and is pressed downwardly, causing slot 19. ofthe cover section to register within slot 10 of the fastener. During thedownward movement of the cover 3, the tongue 5 will be bent at thecrease 11 so as to lie flat against'the lower portion of the front tab7. To fasten andlock cover section 3 to the body section 2, it is nowmerely necessary to first fold the locking projections 13 against themain portion of the tongue 5, as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3.This will be easy as these locking projections have usually already beenfolded once against the main portion of the tongue in passing the tonguethrough slots 22 and 9. The tongue 5 is then turned upwardly, the creaseat 12 enabling the tongue to be readily folded around the lower edge ofwall 17. The free locking end portion of the tongue 5 having the lockingprojections vthereonisthen passed through slot 19 of the cover sectionand through the now aligned slot .10 of the fastener in the mannerillustrated in Fig. 4. 7 130 After passing through slot 10, the lockingend portion of the tongue 5 will slide upwardly between the outersurface of wall 21 of the box body section and the-inner surface of tab7, as especially illustrated in Figs. 2 and 9. If there is sufficientplay or looseness between the outer surface of wall 21 and the innersurface of front tab '7, the locking projections 13 will unfold andassume their fiat, outwardly projecting, normal positions, as especiallyshown in Fig. 2. Onthe' other hand, if there is not sufficient space orfreedom etween the end wall 13 and tab 7 for this natural unfolding ofthe locking projections to take place, these locking projections willunfold somewhat, as especially illustrated in Fig. 9, and willnevertheless serve, by engaging the lower edge of slot 19, to lock thecover section 3 to the body section 2 and this look cannot be broken,unless either the locking projections 13 are torn off or else the cover3 itself is torn in the region 150 of slot 19. In this way, tamperingwith the box can be readily detected. v

It is desired to point out that even if the locking projections 13 arenot provided onjthe tongue 5, this tongue will nevertheless serve toretainthe cover section 3 upon the body section 2, owing to the grippingengagement of the upper edge of slot 10 upon the outer surface of thetongue and the opposed gripping engagement of the lower edge of slot 19upon the inner surface of the tongue. This opposed gripping engagementof the upper and lower edges of slots 10 and 19, respectively, upon thetongue is, in effect, a binding or clamping action, which serves to bindthe tongue therebetween so that the tongue is held against slipping outand serves to positively retain the cover section upon the body sectionindependently of the locking projections 13. These locking projections13 are provided largely for the purpose of preventing the manual removalof the tongue locking end portion without first rupturing either somepart of the tongue or the material of the box itself. If desired, thenovel fastener'may be made of a stronger material than the material ofthe box, for example, this fastener may be cloth covered, in which case,the locking projections 13 will produce rips or tears in the coversection 3 when the box is opened, thus disclosing the fact that the boxhas been opened.

It will be apparent that the novel fastener of this invention may be asreadily applied to the side walls of the box as to the end wallsthereof,

and may be applied to boxes having hinge covers as well as those withseparate covers. In'the event that a positive lock is not required, thelocking projections 13 may be omitted from the fastener, in which case,although the tongue will still serve to retain the box in closedcondition as long as desired, yet the tongue may be manually withdrawnwithout injuring the tongue or box. To manually remove the tongue insuch case, it is merely necessary to pull outwardly in the direction ofthe length of the box upon the tongue so that it will slide outwardlythrough slots 9 and 10.

The novel handle 23 of this invention consists of a rectangular handpiece or grip-portion 24 which is preferablymade of paper board orcardboard folded upon itself and glued, as especially shown in Fig. 7.Two spaced runs of a cord or other tension element 25, is enclosedwithin the folds of the hand piece 24. The runs of the cord 25 projectin the form of loops beyond the ends of hand piece 24, the bights ofwhich loops are held within the folds of trapezoidal shaped two-plytongue members 26, the plys of which tongue members are glued together,as especially shown in Fig. 8. In using the handle 23, the trapezoidalshaped tongue members 26 are inserted into slits 27, see Figs. 1 and 3,provided at the ends of the cover sections of boxes of the collapsibleor set-up type. After thus inserting the tongue members 26, the box maybe readily carried about by grasping the hand piece 24, as shown in Fig.1.

If desired, the novel fasteners of this invention may be employed forattaching the handle of this invention to a box. Thus, before insertingthe tongues 5 through cover section slots 19, the tongue members 26 ofthe handle may be placed under the tongues 5 as illustrated in dot anddash lines in Figs. 1 and 4. The insertion of the tongues 5 thereafterinto slots 19 serves to retain the tongue members 26 in place, thusenabling the box to be carried in an upright position. This manner ofattaching the handle 23 is especially suitable for boxes of the typeordinarily used by the millinery trade.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, as defined by the followingclaims it is intended that all matter contained in the above descriptionor' shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense. i 1 r r What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a box having a body section and a cover sectionprovided with slots in the walls thereof and a fastener for securingsaid box in closed condition, said fastener comprising a body portionhaving slots therein, said body portion being mounted upon the wall ofthe box body sec tion, said body portion having a tongue providedthereon for projecting outwardly through a slot in said body sectionwall, said tongue being adapted to extend around the lower edge portionof the wall of the box cover section and upwardly for insertion throughslots in the wall of said cover section and in said fastener bodyportion, to thereby secure said cover section to said body section.

2. In combination, a box having a body section and a cover sectionprovided with slots in the walls thereof and a fastener for securingsaid box in closed condition, said fastener comprising a body 105portion having slots therein, said body portion being mounted upon thewall of the box body section,

said body portion having a tongue provided thereon for projectingoutwardly through a slot in said body section wall, said tongue beingadapted to 10 extend around the lower edge portion of the wall of thebox cover section and upwardly for inser-' tion through slots in thewall of said cover section and in said fastener body portion, to therebysecure said cover section to said body section, said tongue having itsfree end portion provided with a locking projection thereon for lockingsaid tongue within the slots of said cover section wall and saidfastener body portion.

3. In combination, a box having a body section and a cover sectionadapted to be telescoped over said body section to close said box, saidbody section having a slot in the lower part of a wall thereof, saidcover section also having a slot in a wall thereof, the slot of saidcover section wall being above the slot of said body section wall whensaid box is closed, a fastener, said fastener having a body portionproviding a front tab overlying the outer surface of theslotted wall ofsaid body section, said front'tab having a pair of spaced slots therein,and a back tab overlying the inner surface of said slotted body sectionwall, a tongue provided on said back tab,said tongue being arranged toextend through the slot of said body section, wall and through a slot ofsaid front tab, said tongue being adapted to be inserted inwardlythrough the slot of said cover section wall when the same is closed uponsaid body section and also through the other slot of said front tab.

4. Ina box, a box body section having a slot in the wall thereof, acover section adapted to close upon said body section and also having aslot in the wall thereof, the slot of said cover section wall beingdisposed above the slot of said body section wall when said box isclosed, and a fastener, said fastener having a body portion providedwith a pair of slots therein and a tongue formed 'on one end of saidbody portion, said fastener body portion being arranged to extend up theouter surface of said box body section 159 wall, over the upper edge ofsaid wall and down the inner surface thereof, the tongue of saidfastener projecting outwardly through the slot in said body. sectionwall and through one slot in said fastener body portion, said tonguebeing adapted to be inserted through the slot of said cover section andthrough the other slot of said fastener body portionto thereby fastensaid box in closed condition.

5. In a box, a box body section having a slot in the lower portion ofthe wall thereof, a cover section adapted to close upon said bodysection and also having a slot in the wall thereof approximately midwayof the height of the wall, the slot of said cover section wall beingdisposed above the slot of said body section wall whensaid box isclosed, and a fastener, said fastener having a body portion consistingofa front tab provided with a pair of spaced slots therein and aback tabconnected to said front tab, said back tab having a tongue formed on thefree end thereof, said fastener front tab being arranged to overlie theouter surface of said box body section wall, while said back taboverlies the inner surface of said wall, the tongue of said fastenerprojecting outwardly through the slot in said body section wall andthrough one slot in said front tab, said tongue being adapted tobeinserted through the slot of said cover section and through the otherslot of said front tab, to thereby fasten said box in 'closed condition,and locking projections formed on the free end portion of said tonguefor preventing the removal of said tongue once the same has beeninserted into locking position.

6. A fastener for boxes and the like comprising a flat substantiallyrectangular body portion, said body portion being transversely scorednear the center of the lengththereof, thereby forming two connectedtabs, one of said tabs having a pair of spaced similar transverseapertures therein and the other of said tabs having a tongue projectingtherefrom for insertion through both of said transverse apertures.

'7. A fastener for boxes and the like comprising a flat substantiallyrectangular body portion, said body portion being transversely scorednear the center of the length thereof, thereby forming two connectedtabs, one of said tabs having a pair of spaced transverse aperturestherein and the other of said tabs having a tongue projectingtherefrom,,said tongue having locking projections formed on the sidesthereof adjacent the free end of said tongue, and scores separating saidlocking projections from the main portion of said tongue. 7

CHARLES S. ROBERT.

